this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2025
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[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (9 children)

Toss up : a coworker who I would have counted as quite intelligent said we haven't been to the moon because "it's impossible to launch a rocket to the moon and land on it because rockets go in a straight line. Trying to time the shot of the rocket, and get to the moon at the exact moment when the moon gets to the right spot would be astronomically impossible. The odds of pulling that off at the speed you would be traveling and the distance you travel... Well the odds are effectively zero."

"Also you can't catch up to the moon because the moon is traveling faster then our rockets can go "

Either that or a prochoice individual who voted for Trump....

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The first argument is more or less understandable (still wrong): you can't just propel yourself upwards at your earliest convenience to reach the moon, you have to play around with orbital mechanics.
If your friend's idea of a moon-worthy vessel is an unsteerable rocket with infinite fuel and a chair strapped to it... well the odds are effectively zero.

The second argument? bro, last time I checked the moon was still orbiting Earth

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[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 day ago (4 children)

The moment I knew that I had to break it off with my ex was when a comment about tea-cup saucers turned into an accusation that I "always had to be right".

We were having cake for dessert:

Her: "Can you grab plates?"

Me: Grabs a couple of small plates.

Her: "No, those aren't for cake. It's the really small ones."

Me: "Okay, but FYI the small ones are actually teacup saucers. You can tell the difference because they have the indent in the middle so the teacup doesn't slip around."

Her: "You just always have to be right, don't you?"

What followed was a truly bonkers argument where I found myself accused of "lording my intelligence" and told that I had to be right in everything.

For the record, I told her I literally didn't give a shit what she wants to eat cake off of. I'm the guy that would happily use a Tupperware lid as a plate if it was the closest thing to hand. I was just pointing out an "interesting fact" (in my mind at least).

[–] DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Understanding each others’ definitions is key to communication, so I’m with you on this one. I’ll often get accused of “you know what I meant!”, when I really didn’t and was honestly asking for clarification.

Kids, don’t take ontology classes even if your friends say it’s cool.

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[–] chobeat@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

you're right. Saucers (despite the English name) are meant to drink beverages, therefore they are small glasses, not small plates

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[–] pappabosley@lemm.ee 11 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Whether if something is deceptively [a trait] does it mean it's the inverse of the trait or more of the trait than it appears, ie: if you call something deceptively shallow, does that mean it is shallow, but looks deep, or that it is deep but looks shallow. Hours of arguing with my family and checking numerous sources, we came to the conclusion that the phrasing can be used either way.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

An event that happens biweekly could occur at the same frequency as an event that happens bimonthly.

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I think if something is described as deceptively shallow it means that it looks deeper than it is. IMO

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Goddamit. I was so certain it was the inverse, and now here I am debating myself

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You're debating whether not-3 is the same as "less than three".

It's => but not <= so it's not ==.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 1 points 22 hours ago
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[–] Qkall@lemmy.ml 31 points 1 day ago (6 children)

i got into an argument with my in law about a 60$ sticker to block the 'waves' on my phone. for my health. and my phone will still work.... it was a hologram sticker.

[–] xilliah@beehaw.org 5 points 1 day ago

I've got the new ones that also block radiation, they're on sale for 120$

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[–] davel@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] runiq@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago

Holy butts, that was the good kind of bonkers

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[–] ClipperDefiance@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My mom was playing Jeopardy on her Alexa and one of the questions was about a state in Mexico. Her boyfriend, who was very drunk, adamantly insists that it's a trick question because "Mexico doesn't have states." It's literally called the United Mexican States. Two of my aunts are from Mexico. It took like two hours to get him off the subject.

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[–] xilliah@beehaw.org 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That the whole transgender thing is a conspiracy by the healthcare sector to earn more money.

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[–] pr06lefs@lemmy.ml 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

the one where the democrats are the 'party of slavery' because of what the parties stood for in 1860. yeah that's why I'm voting for Lincoln and the union this year dumbfucks

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And yet California—a solidly blue state—just voted by public referendum to uphold slavery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_California_Proposition_6

[–] Alice@beehaw.org 3 points 1 day ago

Yeah, the problem here is calling them the party of slavery, when both parties are blatantly in favor of it.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

They might want to look up how the parties flipped during the civil rights era.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I wonder why so many Democrats left the party during the civil rights movement? I wonder why David Duke left the Democrat party? I guess we'll never know.

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[–] Soulifix@kbin.melroy.org 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Anytime I enter one with a purist/gatekeeper. You just can't reason with them and they absolutely refuse to see the other side of the argument. They must always believe that their direction is the direction for all things regarding X fandoms or general hobby.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Or people who are pedantic.

"The sky is blue."

"No it isn't! It is red at sunrise and at sundown."

"Ok comic book guy."

[–] spongebue@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Kinda related, I studied in Spain for a semester. Was taking with my fellow American roommate about the debate of if a tomato is a fruit or vegetable. Our host mom's daughter's boyfriend (Cuban, fwiw) overheard, and we told him about the "controversy" in the US but all 3 of us agreed it was a fruit. Host mom overheard us and asked what we were talking about, and the Cuban told her. "Well yeah, of course it's a vegetable"

I couldn't understand every word but when I could tell they were arguing about some vegetables having seeds or something like that I knew I spread something.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

All fruits are vegetables, not all vegetables are fruits. All edible plant matter is vegetable. Fruits are, well, the fruit of a plant.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Fruits are the reproductive organs of plants designed to be eaten by other animals in order to spread their seeds.

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[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

So dumb.

Hour argument, that the final cliff fall scene in Predator 1 was two different jumps in the 2 cuts.

Can see in the first one he is rotating. Second cut is a straight plumb drop into the water.

How were the rotational moments counteracted?

They weren't, it's two different jumps/takes.

2 friends came up with some hair-brained arguments that you could stop rotating on the way down. (눈_눈)

The only way would be air resistance, and hands/arms is not going to be enough to create drag to counter the rotation.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I hate when people get into minute arguments about what is visually happening on screen versus the story that's being told. It can be a single jump narratively but two jumps in production. (I've never seen the movie.)

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[–] DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Whether 12:00:00 is a period of time and could be AM or PM, or whether it was a point in time i.e., the meridian, and was neither AM nor PM.

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[–] AernaLingus@hexbear.net 7 points 1 day ago

I can't remember the specifics (both because it was dumb and because it's so embarrassing I think my brain is trying to protect me), but from what I recall I got into a heated argument on the internet with someone because I felt that fans weren't cheering hard enough for a band I liked at a concert.

...yeah, I know. I'm grateful, though, because it was so colossally stupid and pointless that I had a come-to-Jesus moment and swore off internet arguments entirely. I can only imagine the countless hours of my life it's saved me in the intervening years.

[–] DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Whether the saying is “if they think that, then they’ve got another think coming” or “if they think that, then they’ve got another thing coming”.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That one always gets me. The phrase means that the person is wrong about something, and circumstances will compel them to reconsider their position or opinion. The word "think" refers to a cognitive process, such as reconsidering their position or opinion. As for the alternative, what's the "thing" that's coming? Their latest Amazon order is out for delivery?

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, that's what I've always figured, since the implied threat of violence/retribution seems like a very American attitude.

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What? No, just via circumstances. As in, the situation will have consequences you failed to predict.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I feel that "another thing coming" has mobster vibes, and a comeuppance is a deserved punishment.

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Okay, well, it doesn't.

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After a cursory search it seems like both are acceptable. "Think" appears to be the original phrase, but "thing" is more common today, especially in America.

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ugh. gotta be the one about jesus preaching pacifism. The person said the turn the other cheek was not to be taken literally but a thing he says after he admonishes a disciple for cuting off a soldiers ear and healing the ear but then he says his fight is yet to come and he will need to be armed and armored for it. that he feels is literal and not prose at all. smh.

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